Montessori Education | Why Use a Work Rug in a Montessori Classroom?
🍀🍀In a Montessori classroom, some children work at tables while others work on work rugs. Although the work rug is not a teaching material, it is a very useful and essential tool in the Montessori environment.
🍀🍀When children are working in a Montessori classroom, they will use a work rug to perform operations and exercises with various teaching materials. The work rug serves as a desk in the classroom, delineating a personal work/play area where children can engage in their "work" without being disturbed by others, and similarly, they do not disturb others.
🍀🍀In "The Montessori Method," Maria Montessori discussed the characteristics of children's physical development, stating: "In the initial stages, the characteristic of children's physical development is that the trunk is more developed than the lower limbs." Therefore, I think, the existence of the "work rug" primarily considers the physiological needs of children.
🍀🍀Generally, the length of a newborn's trunk, from the top of the head to the groin, is 68% of their total body length, while the lower limbs are only 32%. In the early stages of growth, the trunk maintains a tendency to develop faster than the lower limbs. At 1 year old, the trunk accounts for 65%, at 2 years old it's 63%, and at 3 years old it's 62%... Even at 6-7 years old, the trunk still accounts for 57%-58% of the body height.
🍀🍀Due to this unique body proportion, most Montessori curriculum presentations and children's work activities are conducted on a work rug. This allows children to adjust their sitting positions freely and comfortably, such as stretching their legs, sitting cross-legged, or kneeling, according to their instinctual needs while working on the rug. Compared to the rigid requirement of sitting in a chair and leaning over a desk, working on a work rug is not only beneficial for children's physical health and development but also more conducive to their concentration and engagement in their work. ☀️🏡🧘🏘️🔔💎
🍀🍀Why is the work rug so magical? ❤️🧸✨
✔️Visual Focus: Children working on a work rug can look down and concentrate on their tasks, less likely to be distracted by the outside world, fostering focus.
✔️Quiet Learning: Working on a rug produces no noise, avoiding disturbing others and cultivating respect for others and the environment.
✔️Clear Boundaries: Each child works on their own rug, fostering respect for "territorial sovereignty" and a sense of citizenship for peaceful coexistence.
✔️Flexible Movement: The work rug can be easily moved according to the child's chosen work, unlike the rigidity of a desk.
✔️Gross Motor Exercise: The process of laying out and rolling up the work rug exercises children's gross motor skills, promoting hand-eye-brain coordination and balance.
🍀🍀Allowing children to grow freely, easily, and happily while working—this is the charm of Montessori education! ❤️❤️ The next time you step into a Montessori kindergarten classroom, you will better understand the significance of the work rug's presence. Let's light up the future stars of our children together!
